Customer Reviews

Severance

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I checked this one out not expecting much & was shocked to have loved it by the end of the movie. This is a true "slasher" (although there's more to it than just a scary monster guy running around in the woods hacking up teens)flick in every sense of the word. Now the box's cover art claims this to be a comedy/horror flick in the same line as "The Office", & "Shaun Of The Dead". Maybe I missed something, but I didn't get that. While the movie does have it's moments, it's more amusing, than it is just straight out comedy. You'll get some definate chuckles, but I doubt very seriously the film was intended to be strictly just a comedy. The blood & gore is definately there & done very well, & you really get a sense of danger by the end of the movie. The movie is actually really brutal too, which I always like to see; alot of the violence is kinda believable.

A brief synopses(as not to spoil the movie) is you've got a group of people going out on a company retreat. These people happen to be employees of a weapons manufacturer. Anyway there transpotation winds up breaking down on the way & they find a place out in the woods that they at 1st assume is the designated retreat area. After that things start to get bloody and that's all you really need to know. The movie is well acted, & the characters are well fleshed out so you really care what happens to 'em (which doesn't happen very often in horror flicks). Anyway, this is gonna be a sleeper hit, so make sure all you gore hounds & horror freaks check this one out. It's at very least worth a rental if not worthy of your very own collection/library at home. There's just something about British horror, they get it & I wish Hollywood would pick up on that. Check this one out & you won't be disapointed!!!

I just watched this movie yesterday and I was blown away. From the opening sequences you are shocked yet intrigued, just what the hell is going on here. The story steps back and unfolds. The characters, even the a-holes are believable and lovable, and utterly hilarious. It is the perfect blend of horror and comedy. This is not Shaun of the Dead, this is a very dark and bloody tale that is full of gut busting funny moments. I absolutely loved it. A closer film in feel to me would be Feast.

Not only does this flick have the wit of "The Office"
it also has the gore of "Turistas".
Not a bad combo at all, if you ask me.
Here's the premise:
A group of office employees(all of which are great characters), on a retreat, happen upon the wrong cabin.
And by wrong, I mean, home of a psychopath.
So what naturally starts out as whole-hearted laughs, quickly distorts into blood-curdling screams.

Needless to say,
I am so glad I stumbled upon this gem of a horror/comedy.
So freakin' glad.
I found it infinitely more hilarious than Shaun of the Dead AND Black Sheep.
In fact I found it funnier than practically every horror/comedy I've ever seen.
Very highly recommended.
(Especially to those who like to laugh & cringe)
One of the most lovable characters in the picture is trippin' out on mushrooms the entire film. =D
And during this one particular scene,
he sees himself standing in the threshold across the room,
So of course, his duplicate and him start making facial gestures to each other.
Eventually he follows his doppleganger outside,
and sees yet another duplicate standing against a tree,
who it turns out, was him the entire time.

And yet despite all the comedy that takes place in the former half of the film,
there is definitely an impending sense of dread in the latter half,
especially once the blood starts soaking up the surroundings.
And truth be told, the gore is actually done suprisingly well.
No cop outs here, folks.
There's 1 inevitabely classic scene where one characters leg is stuck in a bear-trap.
His fellow employees keep trying to help him out, but to no avail.
It keeps slamming shut, biting down even further into his leg.
And as sorry as I am to admit this,
I just kept laughing harder and harder with each unsuccessful attempt.

Words canot decribe how excited I am to have found this bright little gem.
From begining to end this one has "sleeper hit" written all over it.
And just when you think you're out of the woods,
you realize you're just at the tip of the ice-berg.

By the way, the last line in this flick is a classic.
I won't tell you what it is.
But I was thinking the same thing he was.
LOL!!!

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Nothing strengthens team-work, like running for your life in droves.

Those of us who have worked for major corporations are familiar with those infamous team building sessions where trust and teamwork are forcefed via silly games and phoney sentiment. That premise gets a novel workout in this bizaare "horromedy". Only the teambuilding takes a backseat when the team starts getting wastee by unknown assailants.
SEVERANCE is above average compared to our torture and pseudovampire movie, but it is a little disappointing in its sudden slide from a comedy horror movie to a plain slasher who will survive movie. The movie's deft comic touches fade away by the end. Laura Harris and David Dyer stand out in the talented cast and the movie's use of WE'LL MEET AGAIN over the ending credits is a refreshing vacation from most of the horrible songs featured in most horror movies. All in all, SEVERANCE is worth a look.

SEVERANCE is a very nice surprise - an unpretentious but satisfying comedy-thriller that builds up a palpable sense of unease, before the killing starts. The first half-hour is dry British comedy, and very well done - you end up liking ALL of the characters, even the annoying ones. And suspense mounts, as you see these likeable characters moving deeper and deeper into danger. The horror, once it gets going, is brutal - and a little brutalizing to the viewer, as black comedy gives way to mostly humorless gore. This slasher second-half is not quite up to the first half of the movie, with its original blend of office-politics comedy and menace. But the survival-horror is undeniably gripping (if a little prolonged). Beautifully shot and acted, by a wonderful cast. Highly recommended.

This was an enjoyable film with good character development and well acted. It is a bit corny, but it had some good moments. The bad guys weren't really spooky, but being a somewhat dark comedy, I don't think it detracts from this movie. Worth renting if you enjoy 'we got to get out of this sticky situation' type movies.

I picked this up used on a whim from Amazon. Well, a whim inspired on the fact that it has Laura Harris in a leading roll... Anyway, right from the beginning, the movie presents its off beat witty humor. The characters are all likable (for their respective rolls) and the story is surprisingly solid for a movie of this genre. Oh, and the ending was great!

Just got this the other day and have already watched it twice. Had to share it with my friends.... I laughed so hard during this movie, its got the campy goodness, but also the gore and creative killings ([...]) of a great slasher flick. All in all this is an awesome flick! I'm so glad I got this one...

Directed by Christopher Smith
Written by James Moran & Christopher Smith

Any intelligent person forced to take part in an office team-building exercise knows how easy it would be to slip from controlled corporate rage to homicide. The creators of Severance understand that feeling. In place of traditional slasher film targets (such as obnoxious teenagers) they have substituted the people we most want to see mutilated and murdered: co-workers.

When their bus breaks down somewhere in an Eastern European forest, several sales employees of the multi-national Palisade Defence have to schlep their belongings to the nearest hotel. There they await instructions from the American executive who planned their trip. The hotel turns out to be a moldy inn equipped with no amenities except weird pie. And every step outside the place lands the unhappy employees in (often excruciating) peril.

Acting Talent
Thanks to a terrific cast that includes Laura Harris, Danny Dyer, and Tim McInnerny (Lord Percy Percy and Capt. Darling of Blackadder fame) there is no need for over-the-top special effects. Don't get me wrong; what is here is truly horrific. But the point of view makes it so. For example, there's a scene in which a character sees something that gets his feet moving a lot faster--only we don't see what he sees. We see the sheer, animal terror in his eyes, and this is just as effective as anything the props department could have dreamed up.

Plausibility
While some horror filmmakers court plausibility with computer graphics, Christopher Smith makes the bolder and more disturbing choice to go natural. All the stunts and threats come from realistic or believable objects, relations, and circumstances. The style works; it hurts to watch.

Wit
A couple of the best jokes in this film are a long time coming. Yet they're set up so expertly, you recognize every punch line the second it arrives.

Story
You'll spend about half the film trying to figure out if the force preying on our busload of working stiffs is supernatural, psychological, or real. When you finally know, the answer is satisfying in so many ways. All the pieces fit together as snugly as a perfect jigsaw puzzle.

Break out the good wine, and screen this one with smart friends you want to impress and terrify.

"Severence" was a very decent, entertaining flick. The film is about a weapons manufacturing company journying into the wilderness for one of those ultra "fun" team-building weekends. On the way to their lodge they encounter a fallen tree blocking the roadway and must hike the rest of the way. Eventually, it is obvious that they are not alone and the inhabitants of the forest are none too happy about their visit either.

The first half of the film is filled with dry british humor (think The Office) and is actually quite funny. During the second half the film takes
a darker turn into a much more "slasher" type flick. The characters were likeable, the budget was good, the quality was good, the acting was good. "Severence" is well worth a viewing.